In Windows Store apps for Windows 8.1 there are four basic input methods - touch, mouse, stylus and keyboard. In most of scenarios these input methods are all you need, but in case you want to offer more natural experience for controlling games on Windows 8.1, you can also add support for Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers.

In this dev article I'll show you, how to use in any C#/XAML app or game for Windows 8.1 the Xbox 360 Controller API, how to detect presence of such controller and how to poll for current state of all buttons.

In my third article of what to expect from Microsoft in 2014, I'll try to predict what we might see in the Xbox One ecosystem in the next year.

In my previous two articles about what to expect in 2014 in Windows Phone and Windows 8 I've already summarized my thoughts about these two platforms. I've been working with both these platforms for some time and I published already several nontrivial apps, but I've actually never written anything for any Xbox console (not counting my two XNAgames for Windows Phone). I've also got my first Xbox 360 only about year ago, but the thing with Xbox One is different.

Let's start first with the current status of Xbox One ecosystem. Xbox One was released just 1 month ago in November 2013 with about 20 games released at the start, including several exclusive titles. Right now there is no option available for Indie game or App development. Program for Indie game developers ID@Xbox was already announced and smaller game studios or even independent developers can apply with a chance to get dev kit "sometime in 2014". All we know regarding this is probably on that page, nothing more. Note I'm not going to discuss the future of ID@Xbox program and indie game development on Xbox One in this article. I'm no game developer and as we know, the game development headed always in a bit different direction than app development on Windows, Phone and Xbox 360 platform.

Beside the ID@Xbox program, there nothing we know right now about possible indie App development for Xbox One. Although there are already some "major" apps on Xbox One, there is no public information how to create similar apps, even no information about used framework. As far as I know these are just modified web pages running on Xbox one with some private API for accessing Xbox One features.
Since the release of Xbox One there were only some rumors about possible indie app development, but just couple of days ago Microsoft announced the new Build 2014 conference in April 2014 and here is why I think we might get similar app Store on Xbox One just like we have on Windows 8.1 today...